Arm Training in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common condition throughout Canada and the rest of the world. Patients with COPD often describe of breathlessness that makes it difficult for them to participate in physical activity. Specifically, patients often report shortness of breath when they use their arms for simple activities of daily living such as dressing, lifting and bathing. Exercise training has been shown to reduce breathlessness in people with COPD. Compared with studies that have looked at the effects of exercise using the leg muscles, studies that focus on training the arm muscles in people with COPD are sparse. Although earlier work shows that arm training increases arm exercise capacity, the effects on other measures such as breathlessness are not clear. Therefore, the objectives of this study are; (i) to develop a feasible and safe arm training program (ATP) for patients with COPD based on the best available evidence, (ii) to examine the effectiveness of this ATP on breathlessness during activities of daily living, health-related quality of life, arm function and arm exercise capacity, (iii) to examine the physiological mechanisms underpinning any change in these outcomes in response to the ATP.

Patients with COPD will be assigned by chance to either a treatment or control group. All patients in both groups will complete the 6-week pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program that is well-established at our centre (West Park). During this program all patients will complete leg exercises, such as walking or cycling, and receive education about how to best manage their disease. In addition to this PR program, the treatment group will complete a specific ATP involving overhead arm exercises and free weights. The control group will undergo a "sham" ATP consisting of finger exercises. Before and after the ATP we will collect measures of; (i) breathlessness during activities of daily living, fatigue and quality of life, (ii) arm exercise capacity, (iii) arm function and, (iv) arm muscle force. During the tests of arm exercise capacity a special machine (breathing-gas analysis system) will be worn. Measurements will be compared between the treatment and control groups before, immediately after the ATP and also 3 months after completing the ATP.

Inclusion criteria

• a diagnosis of COPD
• a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of less than 80% the predicted normal value
• must report dyspnoea during at least one activity of daily living that requires arm activity
• must have a smoking history greater than 10 pack years and
• must be able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• acute exacerbation of COPD that required a change in pharmacological management within the preceding two months
• an inability to understand English
• cognitive impairment
• requirement for mechanical ventilation for all or part of the day
• tapering doses of oral corticosteroids or xanthines
• evidence of a musculoskeletal or neurological condition which could adversely affect arm exercise performance
• symptomatic ischemic cardiac disease
• a history of previous lung surgery and alpha1 antitrypsin deficient emphysema